Sometimes I don’t know where my days go! Sometimes, I can track them pretty easily.
Life has been really busy; I have spent more time at the haus sik lately. But it hasn’t been just for newborn babies and their mamas… one lady from our office needed a hysterectomy (we will call her J), a translator’s wife (we will call her A) needed one too, another national translator (we will call her L) needed medical attention, and one literacy workers’ wife (we will call her M), needed a different female procedure, and ended up being diagnosed with epilepsy due to a gynaecology appointment … you never know who you will get medical information from. Remember when I shared that the gynaecologist gave me the shot in my wrist? Ha-ha! Anyway … I went to each of the appointments with each of these ladies with the exception of “A,” the national translator’s wife. They came in from the bush and stayed at another location. So I was taking someone to the OBGYN just about every week! Let’s just say that the doctor and I are pretty much on a first name basis, ha-ha! The doctor for epilepsy is in the same office, so I got real used to turning into that driveway.
The Beautiful South Pacific
I still have a hard time understanding the language when they talk so fast. When the doctor is talking to the patient, they have pretty strong accents. They “dumb it down” for me, or simply speak English. So at one point, when the doctor looked at me with complete shock on his face after asking a question to “M” (before she had seen the other doctor), I looked back in surprise and said “What?!” He told me that when she feels a seizure coming on, that she runs down to the South Pacific Ocean and goes in up to her neck, so that she doesn’t feel the seizures as bad. I thought “Whoa, I know your house is mere feet from the South Pacific Ocean and it’s beautiful… but … that’s not a good idea.” You can imagine our surprise! So I said “Oh boy! You can’t do that anymore! You could drown!” Needless to say, we made an appointment with the other doctor before we left that day. She has been on medicine and the seizures are under control. Thank You Lord!
Then the surgeries began… they scheduled the J and M the same morning, and A – 2 days after. So I knew that I would be at the haus sik at least 3 days in a row. This is really good for making me get into a routine with my visits. It is only one building away from my beloved babies. In fact, this is the ward where the mamas who are either “overflow” or not quite ready to deliver, stay.
I was late to arrive for the first operation. It was “J” and I felt awful! She is not only a co-worker, she is my friend! I wanted to pray with her before they took her in… I blew it. I vowed not to make that mistake again! Then (literally hours and hours later!!), after they brought her back, they were ready to take “M” for hers. I prayed with her before they arrived. The procedure for taking someone into surgery is different from America. Sometimes I struggle thinking about sterility and stuff like that. They put the patient on a stretcher, and wheel them outside, around the bend, down the path and up another path, and into the “operating theater” for surgeries.
So, both of my ladies were back in the room and I had made friends with a mama who looked like she was 17. She was there to get her tubes tied. I asked if this was her first baby. She said “no, 5th.” Whoa… I was surprised. She said that she was mid 20’s… 5 babies in a row with not much of a break is enough.
2 days later, I made sure that I arrived in plenty of time to see my post operative patients and pray with “A” before she went in for her hysterectomy. I prayed my heart out… I was feeling pretty good about my Tok Pisin and every thing… Then they took her and her husband came in. I was feeling a little boastful. Until… I found out that she doesn’t understand one word of Tok Pisin. My boastful bubble had burst. Serves me right, huh? Ha-ha!! Oh well… God knew what I was saying and that was the important thing. I am sure glad that He doesn’t criticize my language skills. I am once again humbled… apparently I needed it.
This is my sweet friend Josie and this the first bilum she has ever made. She chose to surprise me with it. Aren’t she and the bilum beautiful? She said it was ok to put this picture here, and let you realize that she is the “J” that I am speaking about above. I started writing my update before she gave me this bilum, ha!
When the haus sik ran out of medicine, they gave prescriptions to 2 of my ladies and had them call me to go to the chemist and get their medicine, and take it back to the nurse to give to them. It is so different here from the medical care I had in America!! Be thankful.
This is Clyde’s grandma, Sophie. Please pray for her. (We think that) this a boil that has been growing for almost a month. Finally, (finally!) they took a biopsy to send to Moresby to be tested. They gave her medicine and sent her home. No painkillers, just 3 antibiotics and an anti inflammatory medicine. No painkillers, just 3 antibiotics and an anti inflammatory medicine.
Update since I wrote this; Barbara said that Sophie is doing MUCH better!The sore has drained a lot and she is once again able to eat and speak like before. She was horribly miserable before. Thank You Lord for continuing to heal Sophie!
So, this is part of what life has held for me lately… I would love it if you wrote to me and told me about your day!
In my next update, I think you will hear all about the Mborena Kam New Testament Dedication!!! I am INCREDIBLY excited to attend!!
My friend Beth shared this pretty song with me. I like it and wanted to share it with you.
Thank you so much for your continual prayers. I need them daily!
Please pray for:
- My family in America, whom I think of daily and miss horribly! Please pray for good health and for them to draw nearer and nearer to God in every instance, every day
- Complete healing for my sweet recent surgery patients
- Baby Moses and his mama
- Daniel and his mama, still at the haus sik
- The children in ward 4 – and various other places at the haus sik.
- The new mamas of twins; they are typically C-section deliveries and it is rough
- All of the new mamas and all patients in the haus sik
- Continued good health for me – Praise God with me that I am rarely sick!
- Safety for those teammates who are traveling
- Safety for our teammates who are village allocated
- Safety for us in town – especially until after the elections
- God bless you all and thank you for consistently lifting us up in prayer!
“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
